Ad makers tried to grab attention in 2007 by littering the Web with viral videos, adding smells to print ads and putting pitches in unsuspecting places. See which campaigns were big hits and which were big flops.
read more | digg story
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Why Kmart’s Still Kmart
The other day, my neighbor and I were out walking when the topic of conversation turned to our local neighborhood establishments. While we both agreed that the particular stores in question were fantastic and the merchandise was excellent, we couldn’t say the same for the service. Depending on the day, you might walk out of the stores thinking, “Are they having a bad day or tired of sitting at the register. Was it something I said?”
Brand marketing has become quite the buzzword. As marketers, we spend a lot of time and money cultivating our brands; working hours on strategizing the launch, tweaking a tagline and working to create buzz. We drive customers to our store or website in hopes they buy our products. But what happens when the brand created doesn’t ring true with the product or service experience? You become a one-hit wonder.
As you navigate your company’s brand, keep in mind that the brand experience for your target audience begins with your tagline, logo or ad campaign. The next hurdle in achieving true brand integrity is to create an experience for the customer that mirrors the brand message communicated. Paying close attention to how the brand is seen, felt, heard and interacted with in store or online is important. This is commonly referred to as “branding from the inside out.”
Remember, your employees are on the frontline. The time and effort put into training them on the brand message pays itself forward. According to Andi Rodriquez of the San Antonio Business Journal, “While many may think of a brand as a visual identification, it's actually an emotional connection built over time with customers. While customers experience an organization’s brand at various levels, it is the employees who are the key contact points; they have the power to increase or decrease the organization's brand value.”
Service. I could write a whole separate blog on this topic but for the sake of this entry, I’ll keep it simple. Aside from the fact that you should always be striving to provide exceptional service, if an element of your brand mantra is “great service,” then without question, it is what you should be doing. Period. If customers come in expecting “great service” and you serve up mediocrity, don’t expect to see or hear from them again.
Poor or not-so-polite service will certainly squash any brand personality you’ve worked hard to build via advertising. Quite simply, the goal is for your customers to walk out of your establishment or sign off of your website with not only their previous brand notion in tact but also reinforced by their experience.
Finally, the overall feel or ambiance of your company should reflect the image you are portraying through your marketing initiatives. Companies like Starbucks and Target have long been working towards this end. When you walk into a Starbucks coffee shop, the comfy couches, small tables and fun music are all working together to make you feel like you’ve just stepped into the neighborhood coffee cafe.
Target, the discount merchandiser competing with the likes of Wal-mart and Kmart, positions themselves as a hip place to buy clothes, furniture and toiletry items. But it takes more than just cutting-edge TV spots to be relevant.
Over the last several years, Kmart has tried in vein to compete to be part of the in-crowd. They’ve hired a famous Hollywood director and Martha Stewart to create eye-catching and attention-grabbing spots and re-vamp its website. While they’ve leveled the playing field a bit from a TV commercial and web standpoint, it only takes a few steps into the store to realize that any sort of brand development they may have achieved with their advertising is lost in the consumer experience.
The store layout, location, merchandise and overall vibe of the store is the same ole’ Kmart that my grandmother shopped in 20 years ago. Speaking from experience, after last year’s Christmas ad campaign, I gave Kmart a chance, Martha Stewart and all. I bought into their whole idea right up until I entered the store. After about five minutes, I left. The money they spent to try to change my perception was lost that quickly.
Brand marketing has become quite the buzzword. As marketers, we spend a lot of time and money cultivating our brands; working hours on strategizing the launch, tweaking a tagline and working to create buzz. We drive customers to our store or website in hopes they buy our products. But what happens when the brand created doesn’t ring true with the product or service experience? You become a one-hit wonder.
As you navigate your company’s brand, keep in mind that the brand experience for your target audience begins with your tagline, logo or ad campaign. The next hurdle in achieving true brand integrity is to create an experience for the customer that mirrors the brand message communicated. Paying close attention to how the brand is seen, felt, heard and interacted with in store or online is important. This is commonly referred to as “branding from the inside out.”
Remember, your employees are on the frontline. The time and effort put into training them on the brand message pays itself forward. According to Andi Rodriquez of the San Antonio Business Journal, “While many may think of a brand as a visual identification, it's actually an emotional connection built over time with customers. While customers experience an organization’s brand at various levels, it is the employees who are the key contact points; they have the power to increase or decrease the organization's brand value.”
Service. I could write a whole separate blog on this topic but for the sake of this entry, I’ll keep it simple. Aside from the fact that you should always be striving to provide exceptional service, if an element of your brand mantra is “great service,” then without question, it is what you should be doing. Period. If customers come in expecting “great service” and you serve up mediocrity, don’t expect to see or hear from them again.
Poor or not-so-polite service will certainly squash any brand personality you’ve worked hard to build via advertising. Quite simply, the goal is for your customers to walk out of your establishment or sign off of your website with not only their previous brand notion in tact but also reinforced by their experience.
Finally, the overall feel or ambiance of your company should reflect the image you are portraying through your marketing initiatives. Companies like Starbucks and Target have long been working towards this end. When you walk into a Starbucks coffee shop, the comfy couches, small tables and fun music are all working together to make you feel like you’ve just stepped into the neighborhood coffee cafe.
Target, the discount merchandiser competing with the likes of Wal-mart and Kmart, positions themselves as a hip place to buy clothes, furniture and toiletry items. But it takes more than just cutting-edge TV spots to be relevant.
Over the last several years, Kmart has tried in vein to compete to be part of the in-crowd. They’ve hired a famous Hollywood director and Martha Stewart to create eye-catching and attention-grabbing spots and re-vamp its website. While they’ve leveled the playing field a bit from a TV commercial and web standpoint, it only takes a few steps into the store to realize that any sort of brand development they may have achieved with their advertising is lost in the consumer experience.
The store layout, location, merchandise and overall vibe of the store is the same ole’ Kmart that my grandmother shopped in 20 years ago. Speaking from experience, after last year’s Christmas ad campaign, I gave Kmart a chance, Martha Stewart and all. I bought into their whole idea right up until I entered the store. After about five minutes, I left. The money they spent to try to change my perception was lost that quickly.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Small Business Causing An Effect
The first article I am passing along this month for you to peruse is "Cause and Effect" from Monday's Wall Street Journal. Kelly K. Spors writes wonderful articles for small business and once again, she does not disappoint. This is a great read and certainly worth considering for your '08 marketing plan.
Here's a preview: Small businesses, which often lack big financial resources, find lots of creative ways to support local causes. In lieu of cash gifts, they often use their ties in the community to help raise money. They also donate goods and services or office space to nonprofits, and encourage employees to volunteer during work hours.
read more | digg story
Here's a preview: Small businesses, which often lack big financial resources, find lots of creative ways to support local causes. In lieu of cash gifts, they often use their ties in the community to help raise money. They also donate goods and services or office space to nonprofits, and encourage employees to volunteer during work hours.
read more | digg story
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Standing Out in a Crowd of Three Thousand
Like a good many folks out there, reading The Wall Street Journal has become part of my daily morning routine. I pour my coffee, add a little cream and then sit down to the paper. While scanning the front page these past few weeks, there seems to be a few prevailing themes. Aside from who’s ahead in the Iowa straw polls, the market fallout from the subprime mortgage fiasco is all the talk. Last week, one headline read, “Recession Fears Weigh Heavy on the Markets.” As the Dow ebbs and flows like costal tides, it kind of makes you want to run for cover and batten down the hatches, right? Not so fast.
As we close 2007, journalists in every market are writing about a looming U.S. recession. Meanwhile, many small business owners are developing their ‘08 budgets. Suddenly, the line item for marketing and promotions is getting a closer look, if not deleted all together. But remember, since the average American views nearly 3,000 ads a day it is imperative that your brand message remains both relevant and in the spotlight. The last thing you want to do is slash the marketing budget and cede to the competition the market share you’ve worked so hard to establish. Instead, make sure every advertising dollar is spent with exacting precision; reaching your target audience in the right market channels with a strategic, well-crafted and creative message.
If you’ve defined your target audience correctly, you should know who they are, where they live, which activities they engage in and what media they read, watch, surf or listen to. Now take a look at your marketing or media plan and ask yourself, “Are these newspaper ads, radio spots and search engine keywords reaching the intended audience?” If your marketing campaign is not speaking directly to your targeted customer set, it may be time to reanalyze your approach; looking at who your audience is and how to best reach them.
All right, so you’ve gone through your plan with a fine-tooth comb and are confident you’re targeting the right people in the right markets. How confident are you that you’re saying the right things? Once you have your audience’s attention it’s important to speak in their language and effectively communicate your brand message. Each ad that you run in the newspaper, each radio spot that airs and each direct mail piece you send must communicate your company’s mission, what sets it apart from the competition and what value it provides. If your not obtaining this with every marketing piece then you might as well throw your money out the window.
Finally, when scrutinizing your promotional dollars, ask yourself, “does this message stick?” A well-crafted idea with the right creative spin and placed into the appropriate media channel for your intended audience is money wisely spent, every time. Consistently connecting the dots between the product or service you provide and the product or service your customers need is the key not only to a successful marketing campaign but also to a meaningful brand.
As we close 2007, journalists in every market are writing about a looming U.S. recession. Meanwhile, many small business owners are developing their ‘08 budgets. Suddenly, the line item for marketing and promotions is getting a closer look, if not deleted all together. But remember, since the average American views nearly 3,000 ads a day it is imperative that your brand message remains both relevant and in the spotlight. The last thing you want to do is slash the marketing budget and cede to the competition the market share you’ve worked so hard to establish. Instead, make sure every advertising dollar is spent with exacting precision; reaching your target audience in the right market channels with a strategic, well-crafted and creative message.
If you’ve defined your target audience correctly, you should know who they are, where they live, which activities they engage in and what media they read, watch, surf or listen to. Now take a look at your marketing or media plan and ask yourself, “Are these newspaper ads, radio spots and search engine keywords reaching the intended audience?” If your marketing campaign is not speaking directly to your targeted customer set, it may be time to reanalyze your approach; looking at who your audience is and how to best reach them.
All right, so you’ve gone through your plan with a fine-tooth comb and are confident you’re targeting the right people in the right markets. How confident are you that you’re saying the right things? Once you have your audience’s attention it’s important to speak in their language and effectively communicate your brand message. Each ad that you run in the newspaper, each radio spot that airs and each direct mail piece you send must communicate your company’s mission, what sets it apart from the competition and what value it provides. If your not obtaining this with every marketing piece then you might as well throw your money out the window.
Finally, when scrutinizing your promotional dollars, ask yourself, “does this message stick?” A well-crafted idea with the right creative spin and placed into the appropriate media channel for your intended audience is money wisely spent, every time. Consistently connecting the dots between the product or service you provide and the product or service your customers need is the key not only to a successful marketing campaign but also to a meaningful brand.
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